Strongside linebacker - Von Miller, Denver. Defense and a running game allowed Tim Tebow to succeed at quarterback and Miller was a rookie leader on that defense with a team-best 11 1/2 sacks.

Weakside linebacker - Terrell Suggs, Baltimore. Fifth in the league with 14 sacks but first with seven forced fumbles. Also intercepted two passes and broke up eight others for the NFL’s third-ranked defense.

ILB - NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco. The leading tackler for the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense, which allowed an NFC-low 229 points.

ILB - Derrick Johnson, Kansas City. Led the Chiefs with 131 tackles, broke up 11 passes, intercepted two others and collected a pair of sacks.

CB - Charles Woodson, Green Bay. The best ballhawk in the NFL’s most thieving secondary. The Packers led the league with 31 interceptions and Woodson shared the individual league lead with seven.

CB - Darrelle Revis, NY Jets. Quarterbacks gave Revis the Deion Sanders treatment, avoiding him at all costs, but he still intercepted four passes and broke up 25 others.

SS - Bernard Pollard, Baltimore. A key figure in run support for the AFC’s best run defense with 75 tackles. Pollard also forced three fumbles, broke up 12 passes and claimed two takeaways.

K - David Akers, San Francisco. Kicked an NFL record 44 field goals and led the league in scoring with 166 points.

P - Andy Lee, San Francisco. Led the NFL in both punting average (50.9 yards) and net average (44.0).

KR - Devin Hester, Chicago. Scored two touchdowns on punts and one on kickoffs. Led the NFL in punt returns with a 16.2-yard average.

ST - Red Bryant, Seattle. Blocked four field goals.

AWARDS

MVP - Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay. As the defending Super Bowl champion, Rodgers and the Packers took everyone’s best shot and rose to the challenge, starting off 13-0 on the way to a 15-1 record. Along the way Rodgers broke Peyton Manning’s single-season record for passing efficiency at 122.5. He threw an NFL-runnerup 45 TD passes despite sitting out the season finale.

Offensive Player of the Year - Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans. Broke Peyton Manning’s single-season record for completions with 468 and passed for 300-plus yards in 13 of his 16 games.

Defensive Player of the Year - NaVorroBowman,ILB, San Francisco. Bowman was passed over for the Pro Bowl in favor of teammate Patrick Willis, who missed four games this season with injuries. Bowman was there week-in and week-out, leading the NFL’s No. 4-ranked defense with 143 tackles. He hit double-figures in tackles seven times and recovered three fumbles.

Offensive Rookie of the Year - Cam Newton, QB, Carolina. Broke Peyton Manning’s rookie single-season passing record with 4,051 yards. Newton threw for 21 touchdowns and also rushed for an NFL record 14 scores by a quarterback.

Defensive Rookie of the Year - Von Miller, OLB, Denver. Collected 10 1/2 sacks in his first 11 games before breaking his thumb. He played with a cast the rest of the way and only managed one more sack -- still a respectable 11 1/2 for the AFC West champions.

Comeback Player of the Year - Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco. Considered a bust for the first overall pick of a draft, Smith resurrected his career under Jim Harbaugh’s tutelage by throwing a league-low five interceptions. He was a more efficient passer this season than Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick and Cam Newton.

Coach of the Year - Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco. Won 13 games in his NFL debut, giving the 49ers their first NFC West crown in nine seasons, and transformed underachieving Alex Smith into an achiever at quarterback.

Assistant coach of the Year - Wade Phillips, DC, Houston. The underachieving Texans needed defense to complement a Super Bowl-ready offense, so Gary Kubiak hired old friend Wade Phillips. When QB Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending foot injury in early November, the defense carried the Texans to an AFC West title. Houston vaulted from 30 in the NFL in defense in 2010 to second this season under Phillips.

Executive of the Year - Mike Brown, Cincinnati. Drafted his quarterback of the future in the second round (Andy Dalton), a game-breaking receiver in the first round (A.J. Green) and traded disgruntled QB Carson Palmer away at mid-season for a first- and second-round draft pick. Brown’s team also staged a five-win improvement from 2010 in qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card.